Outdoor fireplace with ash drawer

ABSTRACT

An outdoor fireplace including a combustion chamber that has a top portion and an ash drawer forming the floor. The ash drawer includes a planar bottom and a plurality of side walls disposed around the periphery of the planar bottom. As such, the ash drawer is configured to receive and hold combustion by-products. The outdoor fireplace also includes a base with an upper portion and a support structure. The upper portion is connected to the top portion of the combustion chamber and is configured to slidably receive the ash drawer. As such, the ash drawer can be slidably removed from the outdoor fireplace to remove the by-products of combustion.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention generally relates to the field of outdoorfireplaces and, more particularly, to an outdoor fireplace whichpreferably incorporates a removable ash drawer.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Outdoor fireplaces are often used to provide warmth, improve theambiance of an outdoor setting, provide an open flame over which tocook, or to burn items as a means of disposal. Of course, as materialssuch as wood are burned, ashes and other debris are produced asby-products of combustion and collect on the bottom floor of thefireplace. In order to maintain adequate air flow to support thecombustion process, regular removal of the ashes and debris is required.

[0003] At present, typical outdoor fireplaces are designed such thatremoval of the accumulated debris requires either the use of a tool to“scoop” the ashes out of the fireplace or the entire fireplace must bemanipulated such that the ashes can be “dumped” out. Furthercomplicating the use of the typical outdoor fireplace, removal of theaccumulated ashes often requires partial disassembly of the fireplace,or at a minimum, manipulation of a latch or like structure that securesan access door in place during use. Because outdoor fireplaces are, asthe name implies, generally stored outside, they are exposed toenvironmental elements such as rain and snow. These elements can lead tocorrosion and wear which can contribute to the difficulty of partiallydisassembling the fireplace, or manipulation of the latch, in order togain access to the fireplace.

[0004] Therefore, there is a need for providing improved outdoorfireplaces which address these and other shortcomings of the prior art.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] Briefly described, the outdoor fireplace provides an apparatusfor burning fuel and easily removing combustion by-products. Anembodiment of the outdoor fireplace includes a combustion chamber thathas a top portion and an ash drawer forming the floor. The ash drawerhas a planar bottom and a plurality of side walls disposed around theperiphery of the planar bottom. As such, the ash drawer is configured toreceive and hold the combustion by-products. The outdoor fireplace alsoincludes a base with an upper portion and a support structure. The upperportion is connected to the top portion of the combustion chamber and isconfigured to slidably receive the ash drawer. As such, the ash drawercan be slidably removed from the outdoor fireplace to remove theby-products of combustion.

[0006] Other objects, features, and advantages of the present inventionwill become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination ofthe following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that allsuch objects, features, and advantages be included herein within thescope of the present invention, as defined in the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] The present invention, as defined in the claims, can be betterunderstood with reference to the following drawings. The drawings arenot necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed on clearlyillustrating the principles of the present invention.

[0008]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention.

[0009]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the outdoor fireplace shown inFIG. 1, with the ash drawer partially removed and an access door removedto allow access to the combustion chamber.

[0010]FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of the ash drawer shown inFIGS. 1 and 2.

[0011] Reference will now be made in detail to the description of theoutdoor fireplace as illustrated in the drawings. While the outdoorfireplace will be described in connection with these drawings, there isno intent to limit it to the embodiment or embodiments disclosedtherein. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives,modifications and equivalents included within the spirit and scope ofthe outdoor fireplace as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Reference will now be made in detail to the description of theinvention as illustrated in the drawings with like reference numeralsindicating like parts throughout the several views. As shown in FIG. 1,a preferred embodiment of the outdoor fireplace 10 of the presentinvention incorporates a combustion chamber 12 that includes a topportion 14 and a base 20. The top portion 14 is rigidly attached to thebase 20 by a plurality of substantially vertical supports 16, eachvertical member connecting a corner of the base 20 to a correspondingcorner of the top portion 14. As shown, the combustion chamber 12 issufficiently sized and shaped for the placement of wood and/or othercombustible material. Note that while a rectangular embodiment of theoutdoor fireplace 10 of the present invention is shown, any number ofdifferent configurations are within the scope of the present invention.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 2, the outdoor fireplace 10 further includes anash drawer 30 that has a planar bottom 32 and a plurality of side walls34 disposed along the periphery of the planar bottom 32. Thisconfiguration is designed to catch the by-products as they fall off theburning matter during combustion. Preferably, the ash drawer 30 slidablyengages the upper portion 22 of the base 20, such that by-products ofthe combustion process can be removed from the combustion chamber 12 bysimply removing the ash drawer 30. Once the by-products of combustionhave been properly disposed of, a user of the outdoor fireplace 10merely slides the ash drawer 30 back into the upper portion 22 of thebase 20 prior to the next use. As well, because the side walls 34 extendvertically, they protect against the by-products being blown out of thecombustion chamber 12 by wind, etc. FIG. 2 shows the ash drawer 30partially removed from the outdoor fireplace 10. Quite often, thecombustible materials may not burn completely thereby leaving ratherheavy debris in the ash drawer 30, such as partially burned logs. Assuch, the ash drawer 30 can further include strength members 36positioned along the underside of the of the planar bottom 32 to lendrigidity to the ash drawer 30 during removal (FIG. 3). The strengthmembers 36 also aid in sliding the ash drawer 30 in and out of theoutdoor fireplace 10 by reducing the friction between the planar bottom32 of the ash drawer 30 and the bottom surface (not shown) of the base20. The bottom surface may be either solid or perforated, theperforations allowing increased air circulation within the combustionchamber 12.

[0014] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a foot rail 44 is provided on the base20. The foot rail 40 is spaced from and substantially surrounds theperimeter of the outdoor fireplace 10, ideally including a first portion42 disposed on the upper portion 22 of the base 20 and a second portion44 disposed on the side wall 34 of the ash drawer 30 that also functionsas an outer wall of the base 20. The foot rail 40 is configured suchthat a user may “prop” their feet on the outdoor fireplace 10 in closeproximity to the combustion chamber 12, thereby warming and or dryingout their shoes, boots, etc. Note that the portion of the foot rail 44disposed on the ash drawer 30 can also be used as a handle to facilitatehandling the ash drawer 30 during removal from, and insertion into, thebase 20. During combustion, the outdoor fireplace 10 absorbs heat fromthe fire, potentially becoming hot enough to cause discomfort uponcontact or other safety concerns. As such, the foot rail 40 acts as aguard rail by preventing the likelihood of direct contact with the outersurfaces of the outdoor fireplace 10.

[0015] At least one access door 50 is provided in order to allow accessto the combustion chamber 12 for the addition of burnable matter,tending the fire, etc. As shown, the preferred embodiment has fouraccess doors 50 to allow maximum flexibility. As well, the access doors50 ideally allow fluid communication between the combustion chamber 12and the ambient environment. As shown, the access doors 50 includeportions of screen material, expanded metal, etc., thereby allowingfluid communication with the ambient environment while at the same timepreventing ashes and burning embers from leaving the combustion chamber.Although each of the access doors 50 shown allows fluid communicationwith the combustion chamber 12, this is not a requirement of allembodiments of the present invention. The combustion chamber 12 merelyneeds enough air to support the combustion process. Note that the topportion 14 of the combustion chamber 12 similarly allows fluidcommunication with the outside environment. However, the top portioncould also be of solid construction.

[0016] The access doors 50 are preferably fully removable from theoutdoor fireplace 10 and do not require a latch or like structure tosecure them in position during operation. Each access door 50 has atleast one pin 52 disposed along the bottom portion of the outer frame54. Although embodiments incorporating numerous pins 52 arecontemplated, for ease of description, an embodiment incorporating twopins 52 per access door 50 is described. These pins are configured toalign with corresponding apertures 24 formed in the upper portion 22 ofthe base. To position the access door 50 for use, the pins 52 areinserted in the apertures 24 and the access door 50 is tilted inwardlyuntil the side portions 55 of the outer frame 54 contact an adjacentpair of the substantially vertical supports 16. Because the upper end 17of each vertical support 16 is closer to the longitudinal, vertical axis60 (FIG. 1) of the outdoor fireplace 10 than is the lower end 18 of thevertical support 16, the access door 50 is held in place by gravity. Toaccess the combustion chamber 12, an access door 50 may be either fullyremoved, as shown in FIG. 2, or simply tilted away from the verticalsupports 16. When the access door 50 is tilted away, the pins 52 remainin the apertures 24 of the base 20, and this interaction limits theangular disposition of the access door 50 relative to the outdoorfireplace 10. Although two tab-shaped pins 52 of rectangular crosssection are disclosed, various other shapes for the pins 52 (i.e.,circular), as well as numbers of pins 52 used, are within the scope ofthe present invention.

[0017] The foregoing description has been presented for purposes ofillustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or tolimit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Obviousmodifications or various are possible in light of the above teachings.The embodiment or embodiments discussed, however, were chosen anddescribed to provide the best illustration of the principles of theinvention and its practical application to thereby enable one ofordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in variousembodiments and with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated. All such modifications and variations, arewithin the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claimswhen interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairlyand legally entitled.

Therefore, having thus described the invention, at least the followingis claimed:
 1. An outdoor fireplace comprising: a combustion chamberhaving a top portion and an ash drawer, said ash drawer including aplanar bottom and a plurality of side walls disposed around a peripheryof said planar bottom; and a base, said base including an upper portionand a support structure, wherein said upper portion is configured toslidably receive said ash drawer such that said ash drawer can beslidably removed from said outdoor fireplace and said upper portion isconnected to said top portion by a plurality of substantially verticalsupports.
 2. The outdoor fireplace of claim 1, wherein one of saidplurality of side walls further comprises an outer wall of said base. 3.The outdoor fireplace of claim 1, wherein said base further includes aplurality of support members disposed such that an air passage is formedbetween said upper portion and an underlying support surface.
 4. Theoutdoor fireplace of claim 1, wherein said combustion chamber furtherincludes one or more access doors.
 5. The outdoor fireplace of claim 4,wherein at least one of said one or more access doors is configured suchthat fluid communication between an environment surrounding said outdoorfireplace and said combustion chamber exists.
 6. The outdoor fireplaceof claim 5, wherein a portion of said at least one of said one or moreaccess doors is screen.
 7. The outdoor fireplace of claim 6, whereineach of said one or more access doors includes a handle.
 8. The outdoorfireplace of claim 1, wherein said base includes at least one apertureand said access door includes at least one pin, said at least one pinbeing disposed along a bottom portion of said one or more access doorsfor engaging said aperture.
 9. The outdoor fireplace of claim 8, whereinsaid base is rectangular and further comprises two apertures disposed oneach side of said ash drawer, each of said said apertures configured toreceive two pins on each of said one or more access doors.
 10. Theoutdoor fireplace of claim 8, wherein said substantially verticalsupports are configured such that each of said one or more access doorsis held in a position contacting two adjacent substantially verticalsupports by a force of gravity.
 11. The outdoor fireplace of claim 10,wherein said pin is configured such that said access door can be tiltedaway from said substantially vertical supports and supported in anangled disposition relative to said substantially vertical supports,thereby allowing access to said combustion chamber.
 12. The outdoorfireplace of claim 11, wherein each of said at least one pin is a platelike structure.
 13. The outdoor fireplace of claim of claim 1, whereinsaid base further includes a foot rail disposed around said combustionchamber.
 14. The outdoor fireplace of claim 2, further including a footrail disposed around said combustion chamber and consisting of a firstportion and a second portion, said first portion being attached to saidbase and said second portion being attached to said one of saidplurality of side walls.
 15. The outdoor fireplace of claim 1, whereinsaid top portion is perforated.
 16. An outdoor fireplace comprising: acombustion chamber having a top portion and an ash drawer, said topportion being rectangular; a base including an upper portion and asupport structure, said upper portion being rectangular and havinglarger dimensions than said top portion, wherein said upper portion andsaid top portions are connected by substantially vertical supportsdisposed at each corner of said upper and top portions; and a foot raildisposed on said base, wherein said foot rail is configured such that auser of said fireplace may position their feet in close proximity tosaid combustion chamber for warmth and drying.
 17. The outdoor fireplaceof claim 16, wherein said ash drawer further includes a rectangular,planar bottom and four side walls disposed along a periphery of saidplanar bottom, and wherein said upper portion is configured to slidablyreceive said ash drawer.
 18. The outdoor fireplace of claim 17, saidcombustion chamber further including at least one access door includingat least one pin configured to be received by a correlating at least oneaperture in said base.
 19. The outdoor fireplace of claim 17, whereinsaid upper portion further includes a bottom surface.
 20. The outdoorfireplace of claim 19, wherein said bottom surface is perforated.